At first glance, these tiny houses seem impossible to live in. But if you are thinking about moving in the Lower Mainland, you may want to look further into reasons why this is gaining popularity in cities like Vancouver. In this two-part series, we will first talk about some reasons of why it is a benefit to move into a tiny home in Vancouver. In our second article, we will address some issues and concerns with the tiny house movement.

Why would anyone want to move into a tiny home?

1)Reduced carbon footprint

Many Vancouverites are eco-friendly folks. To be eco-friendly or to reduce your carbon footprint is not that easy if you are living in a large home. Did you know that of the energy that is used in home is heating or cooling the home? If the house is large, then you will need more energy to heat or cool that space. In addition, you will have smaller and fewer electric appliances. You will of course, also use less materials in building the actual house. All these factors reduce electricity and fuel use, which in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

And small and eco friendly can take many creative forms. Watch this video to see some fun commentary on the possibilities of tiny house designs:

2)Reduced costs

Reducing energy usage as seen in our first point, automatically reduces costs to living in a tiny home. In addition to reducing energy consumption, we know that affordable housing has been a hot topic and a serious issue during government elections. These tiny homes may be one solution to this debate.

A tiny house can come ready-made and delivered to your door starting at around $57,000. If you decide to build the house yourself with pre-made plans, it will cost you about half as much. Some people are getting creative and even turning old shipping containers into houses.

Some have rumoured that you can avoid paying property taxes by moving into a tiny house in Vancouver. Since most tiny houses are not permanent structures, tiny home owners do not have to pay property taxes. Given the expensive real estate in Vancouver, home-ownership of a tiny house is much more realistic.

3)Mobility and Flexibility

You may be wondering at this point: why not just buy a camper or an RV? Yes, just like with an RV or a camper, a tiny house is small and can be mobile. But campers are not designed for a prolonged stay. Tiny houses take a small space and make it as cozy and homey and possible. They do not sacrifice comfort for space and are not any less durable than a regular-sized house. This is a great option for moving into Vancouver where there are many distinct parts of town. With a moveable tiny home, you can experience various neighbourhoods of the city without being tied down to one place. With a tiny house, there isn’t a permanent commitment to one city either. You can move into Surrey, Coquitlam, or Burnaby, and discover which locations you like best.